


Quiet(-ish) Moments

by keentrigger



Category: The Outer Worlds (Video Game)
Genre: Eventual F!Captain/Ellie Fenhill, F/F, Feelings, Let me romance Parvati you cowards, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, Unrequited Crush
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-03
Updated: 2019-11-03
Packaged: 2021-01-21 13:15:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21300041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keentrigger/pseuds/keentrigger
Summary: A series of one-shots set during the journey of the Unreliable, Captain Mari reporting.
Relationships: F!Captain & Parvati Holcomb
Comments: 5
Kudos: 53





	Quiet(-ish) Moments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after drinks at The Last Hope, Parvati seeks out the captain to help settle her nerves. Meanwhile, Mari feels her own getting even more frayed.

With five people on board a ship that had clearly been designed to have one, maybe two permanent residents, some changes had to be made relatively early in the Unreliable’s second cruise. Mari made the call shortly after Felix came aboard after an incident in the kitchen.

As it turned out, Mari liked to take her shower around the same time Felix was making breakfast. Take one freshly-washed captain, clad only in a towel. Add one amateur chef, listening to music as he started to set the table. Combine. Result? Mari in the shower, again, red as a tomato, washing milk and cereal out of her hair.

The next time the Unreliable docked at the Groundbreaker, the captain coerced Junlei (both in bits and in some secrets about a certain mechanic) into having one of her deckhands add a private shower in her room. Sure, it required a separate water source and a portable heater, but the extra power consumption didn’t really matter much, and Mari was willing to sacrifice a little time manually filling a container full of water every night if it meant she could shower the next morning without providing a show for the crew.

(Mari made a note to make sure that Felix hadn’t somehow recorded that morning as part of his documentary, lest she be forced to strangle the man and give Ellie yet another patient to deal with.)

Still, just because she had her own shower didn’t mean that she could enjoy it uninterrupted. No sooner had she stepped out of the tiny cubicle and donned a towel did she hear an urgent knock at her door. Cursing quietly under her breath, she marched over to the door and pressed the unlock button, only to be greeted by a very chipper, very clothed, and now very pink ship’s engineer.

Parvati. PV. Photovoltaic.  _ Sunshine _ . Mari was good with names, but even better with nicknames.

“O-Oh! Captain, ‘m so sorry, I didn’t mean t-”

Mari hoped that her face showed the typical impassive front that she normally portrayed. (She knew she wasn’t, but she could hope.) Instead, clutching her towel a little tighter with her free hand, the captain cleared her throat, praying that her blush didn’t creep all the way down her throat like it felt. “Give me a second.” With her other hand, she pressed the close button, letting the door slide shut between them.

Eyes closed, she took in a deep breath, releasing it slowly as she counted to ten. Then, after feeling the anxiety attack slowly ebb away to manageable embarrassment, she vaulted to her bed, quickly dawning the casual outfit she had planned to put on. Once the clothes were smoothed out and presentable, she slowly stepped back over to the door, opening it again.

“Sorry about that, Parvati, I thought it was urgent. I didn’t mean to-”

“No, ma’am, please, it wasn’t your fault at all! I should’a known better than to bother ya’ this early in the mornin’, I jus’ figured-”

Mari watched as Parvati’s speech grew even more and more frantic and clipped, before reaching out and placing a gentle hand on her shoulder, silencing her. “Whoa, slow down there. It’s all right. What’s bothering you?”

The engineer’s eyes widened at the question. “W-What makes ya’ think somethin’s wrong?”

The captain smiled, slowly pulling her into the room, letting the door shut behind them. “We’ve known each other for three months now. I’m pretty perceptive, especially when it comes to you and girl problems.” She patted the woman’s shoulder gently before gesturing over to the bed, sitting down and inviting her to sit down next to her. “Besides, it’s the morning after drinks. I’m sure you’re second-guessing some decisions you made while you were under the influence.”

Parvati flushed at the accusation, sitting down on the bed at a respectable distance from her captain. “Please tell me I’m not so in love that everyone can read me like an open book.”

_ Just me, _ Mari thought, giving the woman a sympathetic look. “No, you’re only that easy to read when you’re in close proximity to your pen-pal. Or when you’re talking about her. Or when you’re thinking about her.” As the teasing continued, her grin grew wider, until she was smiling wide and gently poking Parvati in the side, getting the carefree squeak of laughter that she was looking for. “But, seriously, no. I’m pretty sure Felix and Max have no idea. In fact, I bet you don’t see the looks Felix gives you when your back is turned.”

“What?!” Parvati laughed again, incredulous. “He does not!”

Mari waggled her eyebrows, still grinning. “Maybe he does, maybe he doesn’t.”

“Oh, and what about the looks Ellie gives you when you’re not lookin’?”

This time it was the captain who was taken aback. Luckily, Mari was far better at playing it off. “I’m pretty sure Ellie doesn’t swing that way. Besides, she’s probably just making sure that I’m not trying to pull a fast one on her.” Mari smiled, wistful at the memory. “Woman doesn’t like owing any favors.”

“Uh huh. I might be ace, but trust me, the doctor is aching for a glance any chance she gets.”

“Better her than Felix, I guess. Or Max.” Mari grimaced. “ _ Especially  _ Max.”

Parvati shook her head, laughing softly at the thought as she leaned against the captain’s side, her gaze staring out the massive windows in the captain’s room. The Unreliable was currently orbiting high above Terra 2, but the ship’s orientation meant that rather than the planet, the room was bathed in nothing but starlight and the light reflecting off the nearby nebula. As the engineer's attention was distracted by the awe inspiring view of the stars, she didn’t hear the soft intake of breath from the captain as she brushed against her. 

There they sat, quietly, simply enjoying each other’s company.

At least, one of them was purely enjoying the company. Mari, on the other hand, felt as if her skin was aflame, her chest filled with burning affection.  _ Tell her, tell her, tell her tellher- _

Just as quickly, the heat was drenched with the cold chill of reality.  _ She’s in love with Junlei. She doesn’t enjoy physical affection like you do. You’d break her heart, just like- _

“Do you think I should still do it?”

Mari stiffened slightly at the question, having expected it but still feeling the storm raging in her heart. Her voice was quiet when she responded. “Ask her out? I thought you did already.”

“No, I mean, yes, I did. I just...” Parvati let her gaze sink to the floor, closing her eyes, still leaning against the captain for support. “I wonder if I should back out.”

“Why?” Mari turned to look at the other woman’s form, her eyes gazing over the brunette’s bun and following a stray strand of hair that she resisted the urge to stroke away from her cheek. “You know she likes you and she already agreed, right? Now’s not the time for caution, sunshine. Don’t let your head move faster than your heart. Trust love.”

She carefully wrapped an arm around Parvati’s waist, pulling her a little closer, softly bumping her knee against the other woman’s leg. It was a nervous tick they shared, one that they exchanged whenever the other was lost in their thoughts. “I believe in you. You are obviously head-over-heels in love with her, and Junlei has been entranced since the moment she met you. You two are perfect for one another.”

She tried to not let the drowning she felt in her chest crest over. She mostly succeeded, only a few tears gathering in her eyes as she forced herself to push her crush deep down, beneath the surface.

_ You can be a better friend than you could ever hope to be something more to her. Cherish that. _

Parvati chuckled softly, leaning in to the captain’s embrace, returning the idle knee-bump. “Not only are you perceptive, you’re pretty persuasive.” She took in a deep breath, releasing it quickly, opening her eyes and staring out the windows again, into the sea of black. “Thanks, cap’n. You always know the right thing t’say to a girl who frets more than this ship’s engine quakes.”

Mari smiled, both happy and sad, resting her cheek against the top of the other woman’s head, letting her gaze follow hers out into the stars. She was sure the others would start wondering where the captain and ship’s engineer were, start wondering what exactly was happening in the captain’s quarters, but as far as she was concerned, they could all take a moment to themselves. She was perfectly willing to stretch this moment out as long as she could.

The captain sighed, allowing herself this one (last) little respite. “Anytime, sunshine.”

_ Anytime you need me. Always. _


End file.
